Mets lose to Marlins in 15 innings

MIAMI — Nick Green drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly and the Miami Marlins rallied for two runs in the 15th inning to beat the Mets 4-3 on Monday night, handing New York its fifth consecutive loss.

Comment

By The Associated Press

recordonline.com

By The Associated Press

Posted Apr. 30, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By The Associated Press

Posted Apr. 30, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

MIAMI — Nick Green hit a game-winning sacrifice fly and the Miami Marlins rallied for two runs in the 15th inning to beat the Mets 4-3 on Monday night, handing New York its fifth consecutive loss.

Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton limped out of the game in the 10th inning with a strained right hamstring. He hit a tapper in front of the plate and clutched his leg just before crossing first base, then fell face-first to the turf.

Miami trailed 3-2 when Greg Dobbs singled with one out in the 15th against Shaun Marcum (0-2), a starter working out of the bullpen after the Mets ran out of relievers. Justin Ruggiano walked and Rob Brantly hit an RBI single to right, with Dobbs barely beating the throw home.

Green followed with fly ball to left field, and Ruggiano scored easily from third. Green also tied the game with a sac fly in the ninth.

The Mets went 1 for 18 with runners in scoring position. The lone hit was Ruben Tejada's infield single to score the tiebreaking run with two outs in the 15th.

New York's other runs were driven in by John Buck, who tied a team record with his ninth home run in April.

The Marlins, last in the majors in runs, went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position and grounded into five double plays.

Lucas Duda doubled with one out in the 15th against Jon Rauch. Following a groundout, Ike Davis was intentionally walked, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch.

That left first base open with the pitcher on deck, but Marlins manager Mike Redmond decided to pitch to Tejada. He hit a grounder into the hole at shortstop and easily beat the throw as Duda came home.

Rauch (1-2) gave up one run in three innings.

New York closer Bobby Parnell was hurt by a defensive lapse and blew a save by allowing a run in the ninth, which prevented Matt Harvey from improving to 5-0.

The game lasted 5 hours, 31 minutes. By the end, the crowd of 15,605 had dwindled into the hundreds.

Buck, playing in Miami for the first time since being traded by the Marlins after last season, hit a long two-run homer in the fourth off Jose Fernandez.

Harvey, who went only 5 1-3 innings, gave up one run and a season-high seven hits. He threw a career-high 121 pitches, the last of which was a 96 mph fastball.

With the Marlins trailing 2-1, Ruggiano led off the ninth with a double against Parnell. Center fielder Collin Cowgill, a ninth-inning replacement, misplayed a shallow fly hit by Brantly and let it drop for a single that advanced Ruggiano to third.

Green followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Parnell blew a save for the second time in four chances.

In a matchup of talented young right-handers, Fernandez had an early lead but needed 81 pitches to get through four innings and departed trailing 2-1. Miami has scored 13 runs in his five starts.

Buck tied the Mets record for home runs in April held by Dave Kingman (1976) and Carlos Delgado (2006). Buck has 25 RBIs and needs one more to match the team record for April.

The Mets, who sorely missed David Wright's bat, have scored only 10 runs in the past five games.

Wright, bothered by a stiff neck, was held out of the starting lineup for the first time this year. He pinch-hit in the 13th and was called out on strikes to end the inning.

Daniel Murphy, who moved into Wright's No. 3 spot in the order, singled in the 12th to end an 0-for-17 slump.

Buck put the Mets ahead in the fourth by launching a 95 mph fastball into the Marlins' home run sculpture. Buck hit only 12 homers with a .192 average last year for the Marlins and was part of their offseason payroll purge.

Harvey struck out seven and cooled off Stanton, who went 0 for 5 after hitting three home runs last weekend.

Miami scored the game's first run in the third. Juan Pierre singled, went to third on a single by Donovan Solano and scored when Stanton grounded into a double play.

NOTES: Marlins first baseman-outfielder Logan Morrison will lead a campaign encouraging youngsters to carry out their own charitable projects. ... Mets reliever Frank Francisco (elbow) threw 15 pitches in an intrasquad game with Class-A St. Lucie. ... Pierre stole two bases in the 12th, increasing his career total to 599.